The peak Australian Government climate change agency, the Climate Change Commission (CCC), has written its most candid assessment of the world’s climate issues to date, saying that ‘there is no doubt’ that climate change is occurring

The CCC’s report, entitled The Critical Decade, outlines four key messages as follows;

There is no doubt that the climate is changing. The evidence is overwhelmingly clear

We are already seeing the social, economic and environmental impacts of a changing climate.

Human activities – the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation – are triggering the changes we are witnessing in the global climate.

This is the critical decade. Decisions we make from now to 2020 will determine the severity of climate change our children and grandchildren experience.

The head author and commissioner Will Steffen has publically called for a unified, policy driven initiative to deal with the inevitable environment and financial losses.

"I don't think we have the luxury anymore of climate denialism. We need to get beyond this fruitless phoney debate in the media," Professor Steffen said.

“We've got to make some very important policy decisions, We have to make some very important investment decisions this decade if we're to take advantage of this fleeting last opportunity to get this situation under control."

The Prime Minister has backed the CCC’s report, saying that the Critical Decade confirms the Government’s push for a carbon tax.

"In this report, we have climate scientists confirming that climate science is real and climate scientists confirming that action is needed on climate change," Ms Gillard said.